After the manager of the Great Soul Arena and his group left, the door to the box closed once more, and the fragile surface harmony that had barely been maintained vanished instantly. Ning Rongrong was the first to lose patience, staring intently at Tang San, who sat on the sofa, with her big, sharp eyes.
"Third Brother, are you really okay?"
She picked up the information booklet on the table and tapped it lightly. "You can see it clearly for yourself—everyone in this booklet is a real genius from the Hidden Dragon List. Shui Bing'er, Dugu Yan, their rankings are all behind yours."
As she spoke, Ning Rongrong's gaze lingered on Tang San's gloomy face for a while, and she couldn't help but purse her lips in secret. Others might be fooled by the name "No. 3 on the Hidden Dragon List," but as the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, she knew well the complications behind this ranking.
In her view, this "Tang Yin" might indeed be talented—reaching the level of a Soul Elder at twelve was certainly extraordinary enough to be called a genius. But to say he could be ranked third in the entire Heaven Dou, surpassing Shui Bing'er, Dugu Yan, and others with proven records—was, in worldly terms, simply ridiculous! Those are the "signboards" raised by the three great sects for decades; considering Tang Yin's current combat strength, he could barely squeeze into the top ten of the Hidden Dragon List. In terms of real strength, he was obviously far inferior to the others with proven data.
Sensing Ning Rongrong's brief look of dissatisfaction, Tang San's eyes suddenly turned cold. He always remembered what Chen Xin did, snatching his mother's soul bone. If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan still held value for him now, if not for Ning Rongrong's attitude and her clan's actions—if they weren't potential allies in the fight against Spirit Hall and Grand Martial Academy—he would have... long since...
Desperately suppressing the killing intent in his heart, Tang San averted his gaze, stretched out his index finger, and pointed precisely at Dugu Yan's row in the information.
"It's simple. To deal with them, you just need to... target her. That's more than enough."
"Her?"
Everyone was stunned, staring at Tang San's finger. Dugu Yan, the granddaughter of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, ranked fifth on the Hidden Dragon List... no matter how you looked at it, she was supposed to be the core of the enemy's fighting force, a formidable backbone. How could she possibly be a "weakness"?
Just as the Shrek group was about to ask more, a low, barely suppressed laugh came from the corner of the box. When everyone turned, they saw that the members of the Emperor Battle Team, who still hadn't left, were laughing.
"Pffft...,"
Yu Feng tried to stifle his laughter, but the mocking look in his eyes was about to overflow.
"Sister Yan is a weakness? Hahaha... That's the funniest joke I've heard all year."
Osler sneered openly, folding his arms and glaring at Tang San.
"Kid, don't think you're invincible just because you won by fluke. You really think you're unbeatable in the world? You don't even know how high the sky is, or how deep the earth is!"
The Shi brothers said nothing, but their honest faces were filled with disagreement.
The Shrek side frowned at the reaction of the entire Emperor Battle Team. Already irritable from losing to the Grand Martial Team, Ma Hongjun was suddenly enraged, his chubby face turning bright red.
"Hey! What are you laughing at? Do losers even have the right to speak? Get out of here!"
"Losers?"
Osler's eyes turned cold. As a genius soul master among the nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire, he had never been so insulted—especially not by a fat, vulgar-looking guy.
"You think we have no right to speak here, you lowly untouchable? What, you looking to start trouble?"
"And what if we are?"
Dai Mubai sneered coldly, a chilling light flashing in his evil eyes as he stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ma Hongjun. The awe-inspiring aura of the White Tiger Spirit rose faintly.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't speak, but quietly moved closer to Dai Mubai.
"That's enough!"
Qin Ming slammed the table, face pale as he stood up and snapped at Osler first.
"Osler! Apologize to Ma Hongjun!"
"Teacher Qin!"
Osler's face twisted with displeasure, his neck stiffening.
Yu Feng interjected, "Teacher Qin, we didn't start this. It was the Shrek lot who spoke rudely and laughed first!"
"I told you to apologize!"
Qin Ming's tone was tinged with impatience. Shrek Academy was his alma mater, Flender and Zhao Wuji his respected teachers—he had to maintain at least surface harmony and respect. But he had clearly underestimated the pride of these noble soul master prodigies and overestimated his own weight in their hearts.
The faces of all the Emperor Battle Team members sank completely. Qin Ming was their instructor and a Soul Emperor with a bright future, but after all, he was not their direct division leader, nor the elder of their houses. Osler and Yu Feng were proud scions of the Heaven Dou Empire's high nobility, already holding back their anger from losing to Shrek—how could they possibly swallow this new humiliation and apologize to a fat guy they despised?
Realizing things were turning ugly, Flender, understanding the energy of these noble children, quickly moved to smooth things over, pushing up his glasses and smiling.
"Alright, alright, Xiao Ming, Hongjun, the kid just says what's on his mind. No harm done."
"I think that's enough. Everyone's young, tempers flare, it's understandable."
Qin Ming, seeing Flender give way, took a deep breath, barely suppressing his anger. Forcing a smile at Flender and the Shrek group, he said,
"Dean, Teacher Zhao, everyone, I apologize for my poor teaching. These students are ignorant."
Tang San, who'd watched this farce coldly from start to finish, finally spoke, as if the earlier conflict had never happened and the topic remained on tactics.
"The snake poison is strong... but I have my ways."
Tang San's tone was calm, as if neutralizing the world's most troublesome poisons—a headache for countless soul masters—was a trivial matter.
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang finally relaxed his frown, a strong sense of relief on his face. He knew his disciple well and knew Tang San hid many secrets. If Tang San said he had a way, then he must be certain.
He nodded and spoke in a low voice.
"In that case, Xiao San, I'll leave the Grand Martial Team's morale, tactical arrangements, and on-field command to you."
"Winning or losing matters, but safety comes first. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed."
Tang San nodded lightly.
"Don't worry, teacher. I understand."
Yet the coldness and resolve in the depths of his eyes made Ning Rongrong, who happened to catch it, inexplicably chilled.
Qin Ming too was affected by Tang San's unreasonable confidence, his heart settling somewhat. He turned to Yu Feng and Osler.
"Yu Feng, Osler, you were in the same team as Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling. You know their personalities and fighting styles best."
"Just right, take this chance to give Tang Yin a detailed rundown so he can make more accurate plans."
"Hmph."
Osler gave a sneer he couldn't hide, turned, and left the box without looking at Qin Ming or Tang San. Yu Feng, Shi Mò, and Shi Mó followed him out, sneering at each other without a word.
What a joke! They were children of the Heaven Dou Empire's top nobility and had their pride. Today, the Emperor Battle Team had lost to Shrek and were already suppressing their anger. Now Qin Ming not only favored the other side, but asked the man who'd insulted them to use Sister Yan as a breakthrough—this was simply trampling their dignity. They feared the Title Douluo, but not Qin Ming, a mere Soul Emperor. Even if he could become a Title Douluo in the future, that was not now, and their families were not lacking in powerful people.
Watching the Emperor Battle Team leave unceremoniously, Qin Ming's face flushed red, and he stood there speechless for a long time. The swish of their sleeves left the air in the box chillingly cold again. With their exit, the mood in the box turned subtly gloomy and strained once more.
At that moment, Yu Tianheng, who had been silently observing, sighed, stood up, and walked over to Qin Ming, whispering,
"Teacher Qin, Tang Yin, about Dugu Yan... There are also some matters about Ye Lingling and the others. If necessary, I can tell you separately."
Qin Ming's expression eased slightly at this, and he managed a grateful nod and smile.
"Tianheng, thank you. Then I'll trouble you."
…
At the same time, deep in the Suotuo Arena, there was a luxurious, soundproof office. The manager who had just left the box was now bowing, standing respectfully in front of a wide rosewood desk.
Behind the desk, an old man with a kindly face played with a warm jade orb and smiled faintly.
"Master," the manager reported quietly, "the matter is settled."
"Good, you've worked hard."
The old man smiled gently, eyes on the jade orb, voice slow.
"But, I see you still have doubts?"
The manager hesitated, then nodded.
"Uncle, I truly don't understand. The Shrek Six Monsters won today's Emperor Team, and they're talented, but the gap with the Grand Martial Team is too great."
"I can understand if arranging this match wasn't just to embarrass Shrek—after all, it could affect the Soul Arena's reputation."
The old man stood slowly and walked to the window, looking out at the bright night scene of Suotuo City, not answering the rhetorical question.
"During this time, the Grand Martial Academy's team has challenged more than ten major Soul Arenas from north to south. Have you seen any pattern?"
The manager was stunned for a moment, frowned in thought, then his eyes lit up as he blurted out,
"They're... doing it for Shrek Academy?!"
"Not bad."
The old man nodded with satisfaction, his gentle smile deepening.
"Therefore, the likely purpose of this trip is Shrek Academy, or perhaps Tang Yin, who is highly regarded at Shrek."
"Then, they must have a request for the Suotuo Soul Arena?"
The manager suddenly realized, then thought of another question.
"But uncle, the top three sects seem to value Shrek Academy highly, especially Yu Xiaogang and Tang Yin. If we do this...?"
The old man waved his hand, interrupting his concern.
"Remember, this isn't my personal decision, nor does it represent just my clan."
"This is... a decision made after discussion by all eight families of the Fighting Soul Alliance."
"The winds across Douluo Continent are changing. Some investments require a more cautious vision."
…